Stamps ready for promise a new season brings with sting of 2013 playoff exit fresh in their minds

Vicki Hall, Calgary Herald05.16.2014

Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish is wrapped up by the Saskatchewan Roughriders during last November’s West final. The Stamps’ promising season ground to a halt after losing to the Riders, which gives them plenty of motivation for the 2014 campaign.

The final stats package for the 2013 Canadian Football League regular season tells a story of total dominance for the guys with the horse on their helmets.

In fact, the Calgary Stampeders led the land in points scored (549), yards of net offence (6,902), quarterback sacks for (63) and sacks against (36).

Still, the 14-4 campaign goes down in the history books as a colossal disappointment thanks to a fumble-filled flame-out in the West final against the eventual Grey Cup champions, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

In the months that followed, John Hufnagel and his staff conducted an extensive autopsy of a team with so much promise that failed to deliver when it counted.

As such, the Calgary head coach/general manager continues to tinker with roster that is the envy of most other teams on the three-down circuit.

“We do our thorough investigation in the off-season of evaluating what we were good at and what we weren’t good at,” Hufnagel said Thursday in a conference call with national media. “Obviously, we didn’t finish the job.”

When it comes to cause of death, the Stampeders simply couldn’t hold onto the ball with a trip to the Grey Cup on the line. Seven turnovers proved their undoing in a 35-14 loss to the Roughriders.

“We need to get better as a football team,” Hufnagel pledged. “We need to make sure that we do the fundamental things correctly in order t o win football games. I outlay that each and every training camp — the important aspects of the game that we have to be very, very good at to give ourselves a chance to win games. I repeat it each and every year.”

The important thing, according to Hufnagel, is for the players and coaches alike to learn from their mistakes and move forward. Morbid reflection is counter-productive.

“You always try to improve,” he said. “If you don’t, you’re going to be in trouble because every other team in the CFL has improved during the off-season.

“We’ll be an improved football team this year.”

The longest-serving head coach in the land, Hufnagel is too shrewd to let emotion get the best of him and tear down a team that dominated in so many areas. To that end, he re-signed 11 of his own guys eligible for free agency this winter including fullback Rob Cote, middle linebacker Juwan Simpson, halfback Fred Bennett and defensive lineman Demonte’ Bolden.

The Stamps lost defensive end Cordarro Law (San Diego Chargers) and defensive back Derrius Brooks (New Orleans Saints) to the NFL. They traded defensive back Chris Randle to Winnipeg, and he signed a lucrative deal with the Blue Bombers.

So change, of sorts, is in the cool spring air in Calgary, especially on the offensive line. Dan Federkeil and Stanley Bryant are back at tackle. Brett Jones, the CFL’s rookie of the year in 2013, is a lock at centre.

That leaves two job vacancies at guard.

“I’m confident that we have people,” Hufnagel said. “Now we just have to go out in training camp and find out who the best five are and where they should be playing.”

In the mix is three-year veteran Spencer Wilson, a Calgary Colts product out of Henry Wise Wood High School. He is joined by sophomore Shane Bergman and a trio of rookies in Brander Craighead, Brad Erdos, and Pierre Lavertu, selected first overall in the 2014 CFL draft.

Another possibility, albeit years down the road, is Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, selected Calgary in the third round of the 2014 CFL talent lottery. A sixth-round NFL pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, Duvernay-Tardif is also in medical school at McGill University.

“I did go out to Laurent’s pro day and had an opportunity to talk with the young man,” Hufnagel said. “He’s a very committed football player. He wants to play and he expressed to me that if things didn’t work out in the NFL, he’ll be very interested in playing for whoever drafted him.

“I’m ambivalent about it. In one way, for the young man, I hope I never see him. But if he does come up, he’ll be welcome.”

Free safety is another position expected to be hotly-contested at training camp. Keenan MacDougall is the favourite to take over from Fraser, but must beat out Adam Berger, Jeff Hecht and third-round pick Adam Thibault, out of Laval.

“We have four candidates for the position,” Hufnagel said. “They’re all athletic people and I believe will have great competition.”

Provided the CFL and the CFL Players’ Association can sign off on a new agreement, training camp is scheduled to kick off June 1 at McMahon Stadium.

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Stamps ready for promise a new season brings with sting of 2013 playoff exit fresh in their minds

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